Certificate of Origin

A Certificate of Origin (CO) is an international trade document that certifies that goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country. They also serve as a declaration by the exporter.

Required by some countries. A signed statement as to the origin of the export item. COs are usually validated by a semiofficial organization, such as a local chamber of commerce. A certificate may be required even if the commercial invoice contains the same information. While Chambers are the key agents of delivery of these international trade documents, other bodies, such as ministries or customs authorities may also have this privilege in certain countries.